IRELAND'S leader Leo Varadkar has delivered his strongest anti-Brexit message yet, saying his government is “not going to design a border for the Brexiteers”.

The Taoiseach told reporters today that Ireland would effectively wash its hands of organising an economic border with the UK after it withdraws from the EU, leaving it up to those who sought to quit the bloc in the first place.

“What we’re not going to do is to design a border for the Brexiteers because they’re the ones who want a border," he said.

"It’s up to them to say what it is, say how it would work and first of all convince their own people, their own voters that this is actually a good idea.

“As far as this Government is concerned there shouldn’t be an economic border. We don’t want one.”

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Mr Varadkar was speaking after a report claimed that Dublin wants customs checks on boats and planes between Britain and Ireland rather than along its land border with Northern Ireland.

DUP leader in the Commons, Nigel Dodds, whose party is propping up Theresa May's minority government, said the party could not tolerate such a move and that the Prime Minister had "already reiterated this".

Simon Coveney, Ireland's minister for foreign affairs, has denied the existance of such a propsal.

Asked about a future economic border between Ireland and the UK, the Taoiseach was unequivocal.

"It’s the UK, it’s Britain that has decided to leave and if they want to put forward smart solutions, technological solutions for borders of the future and all of that that’s up to them.

“We’re not going to be doing that work for them because we don’t think there should be an economic border at all. That is our position. It is our position in negotiations with the British Government and it’s the very clear position that we have when we engage with the task force that is negotiating on our behalf with the UK.”

He added: "We’re not going to be helping them to design some sort of border that we don’t believe should exist in the first place”.

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Mr Varadkar has made plain he won;t be heloing Theresa May design an economic border with Ireland

Having customs checks at ports and airports would allow seamless trade on the island of Ireland and avoid potentially huge disruption for Irish farmers and small businesses on both sides of the Northern Irish border.

But any suggestion of impediments to trade between Northern Ireland and Britain are anathema to Northern Ireland's unionist majority, many of whom fear Irish nationalists may push to unify British-run Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic.

Varadkar rejected suggestions from some British pro-Brexit politicians that technological solutions such as the tagging of goods and vehicles and computerised customs declaration might allow trade to continue along a "frictionless border."

He continued: “So let them put forward their proposals as to how they think a border should operate and then we’ll ask them if they really think this is such a good idea because I think it will have a very severe impact on their economy if they decide to go down that route.”

Theresa May meets new Taoiseach latest pictures

Prime Minister Theresa May with new Taoiseach Leo Varadkar during a joint press conference following a meeting at 10 Downing Street, London

Asked if the position risked angering unionists and supporters of Brexit in Britain, Varadkar suggested that it was Ireland that had the right to be angry at Britain's decision to renage on earlier agreements.

“We have an agreement. We signed up to the single European Act. We joined the EC alongside the United Kingdom. We have a Good Friday Agreement and part of the Good Friday Agreement...talks about working together and continuing to do so within the context of the EU.”

Asked whether he thought the EU would be in a position in October to begin discussions with Britain on a future bilateral relationship, Varadkar said it was not clear, but warned very little progress had been made to date.